This invention relates to fittings for connecting coaxial cables together, to connecting coaxial cables to terminal devices and to adapters for converting cables with traditional connectors for use with this improved connector. This invention further relates to improvements in the electrical characteristics and mating characteristics of end connectors in RJ type modular connectors as used for establishing and maintaining a mechanical and electrical connection in a modular arrangement that incorporates a locking mechanism.
Coaxial cables are generally characterized by being made up of inner and outer concentric conductors (or center conductor and shield respectively) separated by a dielectric insulator, with some cables being encased or covered by a protective outer jacket of rubber or rubber-like material. Numerous types of end connectors have been devised to effect a secure mechanical and electrical connection to the end of the coaxial cable, which provide for connecting coaxial cables to other coaxial cables, and for connecting coaxial cables to various terminal devices while maintaining the electrical characteristics of the cable or cables.
The current invention provides further refinements to my earlier invention, patent application Ser. No. 10/906,192 filed Feb. 8, 2005 for RJ TYPE MODULAR CONNECTOR FOR COAXIAL CABLES, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,563 issued on Oct. 18, 2005.
Prior art coaxial connectors as invented by Croan include a plug and socket arrangement using conductive sleeves, one having a tapered cone and the other having a complementary tapered counterbore, with one conductive sleeve being longitudinally movable within its respective plug or socket body, such movable element being tensioned to maintain connectivity between said tapered cone and tapered counterbore, thereby establishing an electrical path for the outer conductors of the coaxial cable when plug and socket are mated together. The conductive path for the center conductors of coaxial cables is established through a conductive element employing conductive prongs. This modular type connector includes a socket assembly having a mating cavity configured to accept and mate with external guide surfaces of a plug assembly guiding the conductive elements into proper alignment for mating and effecting mechanical engagement and electrical conductivity of inner and outer conductors.
A problem with Croan's prior modular type coaxial connector is in providing the requisite electrical path across the junction of the tapered cone and tapered counterbore. Maintaining the electrical characteristics of the cable through the connector requires the surfaces of these elements to be machined with a high degree of precision, with the likely outcome of increasing the costs of manufacturing such connectors. In the absence of requisitely precise machining, the conductive and shielding properties of the outer conductor of the connector are reduced.
A further problem with Croan's modular connector lies in the complexity and manufacturing cost that is added through using a longitudinally movable conductive sleeve that is tensioned to maintain said conductive sleeves in contact with one another in either the socket or the plug assembly.
Yet a further problem in Croan's modular connector, one shared with many other types of connectors for coaxial cables, arises from using conductive prongs to effect electrical connectivity between the connector and the center conductor of the cable. These prongs arrangements tend to provide a lower quality of electrical connection that over time degrades the transmission path such that the transmitted signals are partially reflected, and/or otherwise impaired.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the above problems and others by providing a coaxial cable connector which can be easily connected directly to a cable, and that provides a removable connection between a pair of coaxial cables, or between a coaxial cable and a terminal device while sustaining electromagnetic shielding of a signal conveyed within the coaxial cable(s). Still other objectives of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.